1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an improved distributed data processing system, and in particular to a method and apparatus for managing data in a distributed data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus to monitor and change boot images in a distributed data processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
In the early 1980s, as the first PC""s were sold, people in the Information Systems (IS) industry thought that PC""s might replace mainframe computers and cut operating costs drastically. Over the years, as personal computers gained more functionality and better user interfaces, end-users improved their productivity and ability to generate data. While enterprise data and legacy applications were still placed on the more reliable mainframe platforms, there was more and more need for distributed access to application and data resources.
The IS industry succeeded in connecting the two worlds of PC""s and mainframes by implementing a client/server model with distributed databases. With the evolution of multi-platform applications over a variety of networking infrastructures, it appeared that PC""s might replace mainframe computers. However, as people in the IS industry realized the immense overall costs of this approach, the client/server model evolved in many directions.
A common problem in many computing platforms is the necessity to maintain system administrative knowledge of enterprise-wide computer configurations while allowing some type of flexibility in the computer configurations. When one discusses the configuration of a computer, though, one necessarily must address multiple operating systems as different operating systems continue to be developed and deployed. A portion of any solution to the configuration-maintenance problem must also address the operating system configuration within the enterprise.
Many times upgrades or other maintenance is required to be performed on a PC or other type of computer connected to a network. Often times, however, the network administrator or technician responsible for maintenance and installation of new programs is located at a remote site. Additionally, problems may occur at odd hours during which it is not feasible for the network administrator or technician to travel to another site to perform the necessary maintenance. Problems requiring a relatively quick response time include problems associated with potential viruses or failures in the normal operation of a client computer. In many cases, the computer does not have the necessary software to perform the diagnostic process needed to identify the problems or the user does not have the sophistication to execute the necessary applications. Further, it is often times necessary to upgrade or update various operating systems and applications. In such a case, the network administrator or technician is required to travel to the various sites to perform the installs.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method and apparatus for managing clients connected to a network or other type of distributed data processing system.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for booting a client data processing system from a set of boot images stored on a server data processing system. At power up of the client data processing system, an image request is sent to the server data processing system from the client data processing system. According to a state of the client data processing system, an initial boot image is selected and sent to the client data processing system. The state of the client data processing system is monitored. Responsive to an indication that the client data processing system needs to be rebooted, a new boot image is selected, if needed depending on the state, and sent to the client data processing system. This selection is made according to the state of the client data processing system at the time the indication is identified. The client data processing system is rebooted using the boot image from the server data processing system.